YES Pakistan (Youth Excellence Solidarity) is an Al Sadat Group initiative that says it helps young Pakistanis build careers and businesses through skills training, internships, startup funding, mentorship and leadership development. This article follows the path its materials describe, from potential to skills to opportunity to participation, and marks where the published evidence stops.
The Opportunity Gap Facing Young Pakistanis
Pakistan’s youth bulge is well documented. UNDP’s 2017 National Human Development Report found that 64 percent of Pakistanis were under 30 and argued the bulge would be a dividend or a disaster depending on investment in quality education, quality employment and meaningful engagement. Coverage of the same report by the Express Tribune noted that 76.9 percent of young people who left education did so for financial reasons.
Newer figures show progress, but the gap remains. Citing the 2024–25 Labour Force Survey, an ILO release from July 2026 put youth unemployment at 12.8 percent, almost twice the 7.1 percent overall rate, and said 28.4 percent of young people are outside employment, education or training, down from 32.5 percent in 2020–21. Of 46.3 million people aged 15 to 24, 4.9 million have had technical or vocational training. The ILO’s call is for training that matches what employers need as digitalization and AI change work.
Starting a business has its own barrier. The Express Tribune recently reported that launching an idea can be easier than persuading a bank to finance it, and that SMEDA and the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme are now stressing financial literacy and business planning.
How YES Pakistan Supports Youth Opportunity
YES Pakistan describes linked programs rather than a single offering. Its site lists:
- Skill development: hands-on training for educated and uneducated youth.
- Internships: nine tracks, including business development, digital marketing, graphic design, sales, content writing, operations, customer service and web development.
- Startup funding: seed funding, business plan support, mentorship and networking.
- Mentorship and leadership training, a Youth Club/Corner, and a Govt. Jobs Online Portal.
For more detail, see YES Pakistan’s explainer on how the initiative works and its guide to helping young Pakistanis prepare for the future.
Skills, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Skills to opportunity
The ILO argues for training that keeps pace with industry. Role-specific internships fit that idea: running a campaign, handling a customer complaint or building a website are tasks employers recognize. That is our reading of the program design, not a reported result. YES Pakistan’s site also emphasizes digital fluency, financial literacy and adaptability, the skills that transfer when specific job requirements change.
Ideas to ventures
In an article on YES Pakistan’s site, Syed Sadat Hussain Shah lists five supports a young founder needs together: mentorship, technology, financing, networks and market access. YES Pakistan’s startup funding program targets several of these. It has not published funding amounts or eligibility criteria, so applicants should ask.
Leadership, Networks and Practical Exposure
Skills tend to get noticed through people and practice. YES Pakistan lists expert mentorship and leadership training, and its Youth Corner profiles young Pakistani entrepreneurs from several fields. The page does not say those founders came through YES programs, so the profiles are best read as examples, not outcomes.
Introductions matter too. YES Pakistan’s explainer notes that a young entrepreneur’s first customers and collaborators often arrive through introductions rather than cold outreach. That is the site’s observation, not a measured finding, but it helps explain why the program pairs funding with mentorship and peer connection.
From Opportunity to Meaningful Participation
UNDP treated meaningful engagement as a third pillar beside education and employment. YES Pakistan’s stated equivalent is its nation-building initiatives, which invite young people into community projects and social innovation, and an ambassador role listed on its About page.
The About page also sets goals: 20,000+ youth trained by 2026, 1,000+ startups funded and partnerships with 40+ institutions. These are targets. We found no published progress figures, and long-term growth is the stage where evidence matters most.
Practical Takeaways for Young People
- Exploring: work out your stage. No marketable skill yet, skills but no experience, or an idea but no capital each point to a different program.
- Comparing: ask any program how long it lasts, whether it is paid, who supervises, what you receive at the end and how funding decisions are made.
- Ready to apply: YES Pakistan’s application form covers internships, skill programs and community engagement. Businesses can also inquire about partnering.
- Keep expectations realistic. Nothing here guarantees a job or funding.
Conclusion
The evidence on Pakistan’s youth is consistent: potential is abundant, and the missing pieces are skills employers want, capital, introductions and a way to participate. YES Pakistan’s structure addresses each on paper. Publishing participant numbers, placements and funded ventures would let readers judge how well it works in practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is YES Pakistan?
YES Pakistan (Youth Excellence Solidarity) is an Al Sadat Group initiative offering skill development, internships, startup funding, mentorship and leadership training to young Pakistanis, in collaboration with universities, government bodies and business leaders.
Who can join YES Pakistan?
Its site lists students and fresh graduates, aspiring entrepreneurs, young professionals, and businesses or organizations that want to partner.
Does YES Pakistan offer startup funding?
Its site says the program includes seed funding, business plan support, mentorship and networking. Amounts and eligibility are not published, so ask the team about current availability.
What barriers do young Pakistanis face in finding work?
Recent ILO figures cite 12.8 percent youth unemployment and more than one in four young people outside employment, education or training. Skills that do not match employer needs and limited access to finance for young founders are also widely reported.